


Salvation

by cyanidas



Category: Penny Arcade
Genre: Creepy, Demonic Possession, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Heaven, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Purgatory, The Devil is a Sneaky Bastard, blatant death, i mean it's supposed to be creepy but im kinda iffy on my own skills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 14:32:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8017654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyanidas/pseuds/cyanidas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the aftermath of the Penny Arcade games (On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness). Pretty sure it's got spoiler references for the last game so if you haven't seen them then you'll probably be super confused.<br/>A Gabe without his Tycho is the worst thing imaginable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Gabe opened his eyes, greeted by a bright blue sky and the tiny pokes of grass blades under his body. Dazed, he blinked around, trying to collect the thoughts and memories of the days before. Nothing existed in this moment of tranquil confusion, save for himself and the peaceful world around him.

Then, suddenly, a shift of color flashed behind his eyes. Memories flooded back of Tycho, of Moira and Jim, of the rake guy and of monsters and dark gods, ending the world, and arriving into this new, perfect world. He jolted upright, gasping for air after the shock of memories engulfing his mind. He looked around for Tycho, knowing he was dead now, but still holding onto hope.

Instead, he got a big look of the world around him. The sky was vivid, with spots of clouds rolling by, and he was just beyond a forest which overlooked the town of what appeared to be New Arcadia. Gabe rose to his feet, stumbling only a little, and sullenly looked upon the town and sighed to himself with melancholy. Sure, the world was perfect, but Tycho wasn’t here to see it.

Gabe muttered something too low to hear, and walked on towards the town.

\--

New Arcadia definitely was very different. People went about as if nothing had ever happened, and seemed a bit friendlier than normal. There weren’t any homeless people, nor were there any incredibly rich people. Everything was fairly middle and balanced, and everything just seemed right. Where evil began, so did good, so there were things to fight but it just wasn’t as challenging as it would have been had Tycho still been there.

Gabe simply walked about the town, not even bothering to take in the view. He hated being alone like this, especially without anyone to vent to. People tried to talk with him, say hello, ask him how he was doing, if he was lost at all - but he just walked on, ignoring anyone who spoke.

Finally, he made it to the Agency building. It was, of course, empty and abandoned, locked up with a ‘For Sale’ sign. He was tempted to break open the lock in a fit of rage, but someone appeared before that could happen.

“Howdy, stranger!” A peachy old man stepped up, grinning and going to shake his hand. Gabe unknowingly took his greeting, just a bit shocked and overwhelmed by everything. “I see you’re eyein’ this beauty of a buildin’ right here. Care to check it out? I just came over to see how the ol’ gal’s doin’, myself.”

“…Sure…” Gabe mumbled.

“There’s no need to be shy, now.” The old man unlocked and opened the door, allowing Gabe access to its hollow shell.

He took a step in, and memories forced their way through once again.

He saw the tables, the shelves, his punching bag, the desk, the board with leads and anomalies and various references and a “GABE DO NOT TOUCH MY THINGS” note, and he remembered Tycho’s chair…

He looked to the front door, past the old man, and remembered when they first came up with their agency’s name, and getting it plastered on the glass for all to see.

Gabe turned and headed upstairs, to the rooms up above.

The second room was Tycho’s, and out of habit, he hesitated to open the door. He remembered being terrified of opening the door after having a nightmare, and knocking before entering, finding Tycho fast asleep and still asking if he was awake. He recalled that every night he had a nightmare after that, he would try to sleep on the floor and eventually be called into bed by Tycho himself. Gabe opened the door for real this time, and expected to see his big comfortable bed with messy sheets and an even messier floor, papers and books everywhere. Instead it was still empty, as it had been for a while. He closed it and moved on.

The third and last room was Gabe’s actual room, where he was allowed to sleep after a few months of sleeping in the main room. He opened the door and looked around the drafty place. He didn’t have much to his name; just a few punching bags, a dresser full of used clothes, and a bed on the floor with one single blanket and a small pillow. He didn’t really miss this room.

Gabe realized something, and hurried downstairs.

“How much is this place?!” He near shouted.

“Why, it’s about $108.”

Gabe grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets and bringing up nothing. He stared wide-eyed at his empty hands and was on the verge of panicking before a familiar voice resounded,

“I’ll take it.”

Gabe looked up in a flash moment of furiousness, ready to fight whoever dare steal this last shred of whatever home was to him. He immediately calmed down the second he knew it was Moira, waltzing into the house, in all her fighting glory.

“You…,” Gabe whispered to no one in particular. She handed the cash up front, and took the key from the old man.

“I’ll be here to help do paperwork tomorrow.” She stated, and the old man hobbled back out of the building. She turned to Gabe, who stood without any expression on his countenance.

“You…you killed him…” His face slowly contorted, obviously trying not to show sadness or regret.

“It had to be done, okay?” She held her arms, not wanting to see a sad Gabe, “It had to…”

“I…I know…” He balled his fists, “I know it had to…I’m…I’m not some idiot…I…”

“Gabe…”

“It’s over, isn’t it? We won…we really did…”

“Yeah…”

Gabe looked down to the floor, nearly bowing his head, and then it began; one gasp of breath, one small tear landing on the floorboards, and one fist to the wall with an anguished howl and he was finally on his hands and knees, sobbing.

Everything he knew, for 14 years, finally came to an end. What was he supposed to do with his life without Tycho? He had formed such a dependency on him that his life didn’t really serve a purpose anymore. Tycho just wasn’t there, and he never will be again. Moira kneeled down to Gabe’s level and rubbed his back. He did something even he didn’t expect; he hugged Moira, and she, against every odd, hugged back.

It was silent for a while before they parted.

“I’ll help you get your furniture back, or whatever you need. I still had my job when I arrived here, so at least you have someone supporting you.”

Gabe nodded.

“It’ll be alright, Gabe. There’s always something to fight. If you wanna take on a rookie job with my agency, I’d be happy to help.”

“Why?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Why are you here? Why are you helping me?”

“…I kinda knew you’d be here, of all places. I wanted to help you because we’ve literally gone through hell – or, underhell – and back, and we did it together. Okay? People don’t just say, ‘welp, we’re done now, bye!’ or some shit like that. That’s not right. It’s not me.”

Gabe didn’t reply, but stood up and wiped his eyes and face.

“I’ve got to get back to my place for now…okay? Come with me. You need a bed to sleep on.”

“…Okay.” He nodded, and followed her out, taking one last look on the empty building before closing and locking it up for the first time in what has probably been ages.


	2. Chapter 2

-Some time later-

Gabe picked up the newspaper from the doorstep and carried it inside. Since Tycho’s death, he attempted to pick up reading, and even bought a dictionary. He may have learned a few new words and phrases, but other than that, he couldn’t read for too long without getting bored or antsy.

He glanced over the headline for today and chuckled to himself. Tycho would love this.

“Hey, Tycho, check this out--!” Gabe looked up to where his chair would be. Empty space. His smile diminished, and he went back to reading the paper and drinking his morning coffee.

He sat in silence for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes. Finally, he set his mug down along with the paper using unsteady hands, shaking with rage. He stood, walked over to a wall, and punched with all his might, cracking the wood and giving him splinters. Gabe didn’t care anymore.

He punched again, and again, punching a hole through the wall and making it bigger and bigger. He finished by shouting aloud, mostly out of anger, and pulling at his hair. He still hadn’t forgotten about what had happened, and he still acted as if Tycho was still there sometimes. He hated it. He hated not being able to let go.

Gabe finally trailed back to his chair and slumped back into it.

“You know,” a deep, dark voice sunk in, “There’s always one way to see him again.”

“I’m ignoring you!” The brute retorted to the voice known as Lucifer.

“Make a pact with me, boy.” Gabe could hear the grin behind his devilish words. “Do it. End your own existence, and you may see him once more.”

“…Not a chance!”

“Face it. You don’t know what to do without him. You’re lost, boy. Confused. Just end it, and all your suffering will die with you.”

“…I…I can’t…Moira, she--”

“No death is without its faults. Make a deal with me, and you get to see your partner again.”

“AAAAGH! STOP, STOP THIS!!”

“You won’t even feel a thing. No pain, no gain. Just agree, just once, and you got yourself a deal.”

“NO! NO NO NO!!”

“Why not?”

“Well, why are YOU being so…so…persistent right now!? Usually you just go away after a while!”

“You can only keep me down for so long, boy. Make a pact with me. Do it. Do it now. Now, I say! NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW--”

A scream.

“FINE!” Gabe shouts, panting heavily.

Laughter.

“It is done.”

Lucifer laughs once more, taking complete control, and snapping Gabe’s neck with his own hands.


	3. Chapter 3

Gabe’s been to the afterlife before, or some form of it via Underhell, but the place Lucifer dragged him down to was not what he was used to in the slightest.

Everything was white, for starters. Not snow-covered, but genuinely no color to the surroundings. The building he was in that looked like his was white, outside was white, the plants were white – everything.

Gabe went to take a breath but realized he didn’t need it. He was dead. He stepped outside into the blinding whiteness – or it would be blinding, if he had mortal eyes – and shouted for anyone, even Lucifer, but there was no one. He hated loneliness – abandonment was a great fear of his, and while he may have lived through it, he was not ready for this level of complete isolation.

The brute looked around once more, and stood there. It felt like an eternity, and it might have actually been so. There was no noise, no sound but his own. There was enough silence to drive a person mad. Still, he just…stood. And waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, a figure in the distance.

Gabe peeked up, and eyes went wide.

“Hello!” He waved, “Stay right there!”

The figure didn’t move.

Gabe started towards the figure. It, again, felt like an eternity before he got close enough to even make out a body shape. It was so dark in color that it was significantly easier to spot, so he didn’t lose it. However, when he was able to make out some features, Gabe’s eyes widened again. If he could gasp, he would.

“Tycho…?”

The figure darted at an inhuman speed, calling for Gabe to respond with chase.

“WAIT!”

The chase went on, and on, and on, until they reached the forest, where the figure stopped in an all-white clearing.

“Tycho!? Tycho is that you!?”

There was a long pause of more crippling silence, before the figure did anything.

With its back facing Gabe, it spoke.

“Jonathan Gabriel.” The voice was obviously Tycho’s.

“…yes?” He flinched.

Then, the figure grabbed his head, twisting it and snapping it out of place to turn and face him. Its face was an unholy combination of darkness and rotting, ripping flesh. Its eyes were without lids or whites, and its teeth separated into a hideous grin.

“YOU’VEBEENVERYBAD” The voice distorted and became garbled nonsense, turning to backwards Latin or gibberish, he didn’t know. The body parts separated, ripping themselves off, until the figure was a heaving mess of limbs and organs, simulating Tycho’s death. It then began to creep towards Gabe through some force of dark nature, screeching in Gabe’s ears as he turned to run away.

As Gabe ran, and the more he ran, the more figures would pop out, each one looking a bit like Tycho himself. He guessed that this might have been his family haunting him.

“JONATHAN GABRIEL.”

“ONE WHO ALIGNED HIMSELF WITH THE BRAHE CLAN.”

“ONE WHO MURDERED.”

“ONE WHO CHEATED.”

“ONE WHO BATHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT.”

“KILLER OF GODS.”

“KILLER OF HUMANS.”

“KILLER OF THE WORLD.”

“YOU SHALL PAY THE PRICE YOU’VE DEALT TO MANY.”

“YOU SHALL SUFFER UNTIL THE END OF TIME.”

“YOU SHALL DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS AND THEN A THOUSAND MORE.”

“RELIVE THE DEATH OF YOUR VICTIMS.”

“RELIVE THE DEATH OF YOUR LOVER.”

“RELIVE! RELIVE! RELIVE!”

They shouted, chanted even. Their hellish voices mingled together into one single entity, despite having many consecutive forms. Gabriel was terrified, scared out of his mind. The Brahe’s surrounded him in town, finally, and began attacking him.

In this instance, he was being given ‘proper justice’, reliving the death of all those who had tasted his fists of fury. From cultists, to hobos and rich people, all the way to gods and monsters.

When everything finally seemed lost, there was a bright light, even brighter than the whiteness that surrounded them. It was bright enough to burn the demonic Brahe’s away, and so warm and loving that it healed his wounds and lifted him to the sky.

“Now that’s not right,” a little girl’s voice resounded, “Let’s try this again, shall we?”

The brightness engulfed him, and he was finally in a world of color. Gabe blinked and looked around, but saw no one. He checked his body and saw and felt no pain or wounds, and nothing hurt him any longer. He then looked up to see a figure in the distance, and his heart escalated.

“Tycho….?”

The figure noticed him, turning to him.

“Tycho!?” Gabe rushed towards him, as fast as his ghost legs could take him.

Finally, he crashed into the figure, wrapping his arms around him.

“Gabriel!?” The voice, more human than anything, was definitely, without a doubt, belonging to Tycho.

“TYCHO!” He looked up to see Tycho, brimming with his old scent and presence, just a light of his own flickering in Gabe’s arms.

“GABRIEL!?” He shouted, a bit angered but mostly confused.

“I thought you were gone, I thought I lost you, I thought--”

“I thought you were still alive!”

“I—I didn’t know what to do—I…you were gone and—and I couldn’t go on and—and the devil, the devil wouldn’t shut the fuck up and!!” Gabe stammered and spoke as fast as he could, cut off by his partner.

“Shh, Gabriel. It’s okay.” Tycho hugged back. “I have you now.”

“And I have you!”

“Yes. You have me.”

They laughed together, finally untouched by the world’s problems. They kissed, and the world was right once more.


End file.
